A new option for repairing leaky tricuspid heart valves is now being offered at Abrazo Arizona Heart Hospital.

The TriClip transcatheter system is a minimally invasive therapy to treat patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation without the need for open-heart surgery, as explained in a press release.

Tricuspid regurgitation is a condition where the valve between the two right heart chambers doesn’t close properly, resulting in a backward flow of blood into the right atrium of the heart. The Abbott TriClip transcatheter edge-to-edge repair system received FDA approval in April, the release stated.

Symptomatic severe tricuspid regurgitation typically impacts older individuals who have multiple comorbidities, making open-heart surgery a high-risk procedure and resulting in many people going undertreated. 

The risks of a leaky tricuspid valve can be substantial as people often develop other conditions such as atrial fibrillation, and heart failure that can ultimately result in death, the release detailed.

“The TriClip system offers a minimally invasive treatment option to help improve quality of life and functional status in patients with symptomatic severe tricuspid regurgitation, despite optimal medical therapy, who are at intermediate or greater risk for surgery,” Dr. Timothy Byrne, a structural interventional cardiologist who participated in a clinical trial of the system, stated in the release.

TriClip is delivered to the heart via a catheter inserted through the femoral vein in the leg and works by clipping together a portion of the leaflets of the tricuspid valve to reduce the backflow of blood.

Designed specifically for the right side of the heart and the tricuspid valve’s complex anatomy, the TriClip and steerable guiding catheter systems allow physicians to independently grasp and effectively clip leaflets of the tricuspid valve to reduce regurgitation — allowing the heart to pump blood more efficiently.

Traditionally, the only treatment options for tricuspid regurgitation have been surgery, which is rarely performed due to the complexity of the procedure and high risks involved, and medical therapy, which is often not successful in reducing the condition, the release noted.

For more, visit AbrazoHealth.com.